Proverbs 15:8-9
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the LORD:
but the prayer of the upright is his
delight.
The way of the wicked is an
abomination unto the LORD:
but he loveth him that followeth after
righteousness.
There are things that are abominations
to the Lord and things that bring Him delight.
We see here that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
Lord. The Lord does not desire sacrifice;
He desires obedience in the first place.
Sometimes when we find ourselves compromising or sinning we can be
tempted to try to compensate by punishing ourselves in some sort of way or
doing some sort of sacrificial penance to make up for it. This is not what pleases the Lord. We see, according to this verse, that the
prayer of the upright is His delight. He
wants us to come to Him and confess our sins.
He wants us to confess and forsake these ways rather than come up with
some sort of plan to have our good outweigh our bad. This is a wicked way. He wants us to follow hard after
righteousness and when and if we fall, to pray and call upon Him for His
forgiveness and enabling. He delights in
this sort of uprightness - the uprightness that acknowledges sin and walks
before Him in His light, allowing Him to search and correct. He loves the one who follows after
righteousness and seeks to be instructed in His ways. Let us not go about establishing our own ways
of dealing with our wickedness. Let us
remember that the sacrifice of Jesus is the only sacrifice that appeases the
heart of God on our behalf. Let us come
and speak to the Rock. Let us receive
the cleansing and refreshment that pours forth from the One who has been
smitten on our behalf. Let us follow after our Righteousness and enjoy the
fellowship and access He has paid such a high price to give us.
No comments:
Post a Comment